Team USA Finishes 4th with Strong Finish at 3rd Olympiad for People with Disabilites

Team USA notched its best finish yet at the 3^rd FIDE Olympiad for People with Disabilities. After pairings against eventual podium finishers in the second and third round, the American team was tied for 10^th place after Round 4. From there, USA delivered a 5/6 score across the final three rounds to finish in fourth place with a 10/14 score, improving on last year’s tie for sixth place.

The winner of 2023’s inaugural event, Poland, won its second gold medal in three tries with a 13/14 score. Cuba won silver with a 12/14 score and the host nation, Uzbekistan, took bronze with an 11/14 by its Uzbekistan 1 team. 

Poland also defeated Cuba 2½–1½ in Round 5, and Uzbekistan did not play either of the other medalists. USA tied Uzbekistan in 2–2 in Round 2 and lost 1½–2½ against Poland in Round 3. All standings and pairings are available here.

USA entered Thursday’s final round in a tie for sixth place and a shot at a podium finish. In addition to having to win against Ukraine, USA would need Poland and Cuba to defeat USA’s closest competitors on the top two boards and Israel to at least draw Uzbekistan 1. Poland and Cuba defeated the Philippines and Czechia, respectively, but Uzbekistan 1 eked out a 2½–1½ victory, pushing USA down to a three-way tie for fourth place with IBCA and Mongolia. With the best tiebreaks, USA finished fourth in a great showing and particularly strong finish.

In Round 5, USA defeated Argentina 3–1 with wins by FM Sullivan McConnell, Griffin McConnell, and Pranav Shankar on the top three boards. Both Griffin McConnell and Shankar’s wins as Black in Indian games were particularly captivating:

Against the Philippines n Round 6, Sullivan McConnell again won on the top board, but Griffin McConnell’s loss on Board 2 put pressure on the lower boards. WCM Celine Atassi delivered on Board 4, meaning Shankar needed a draw to clinch the match. What ensued was one of the longest and tensest games of the tournament:

With Shankar unfortunately unable to hold on, USA had to settle for a 2–2 tie and a share of sixth place, rather than a share of third, entering the final round. USA’s opponent, Ukraine, was also part of the tie for sixth, meaning both teams had everything to play for. The ensuing games certainly lived up to the hype. 

For the first couple hours, it looked like the top boards would be split 1–1 with Sullivan McConnell positionally dominating Artom Andriienko while Griffin McConnell was caught in a bind against FM Mykola Mukha. Indeed, the final score did eventually end up 1–1, but in a dramatically different way. 

On Board 4, Atassi won again, this time while doing her best Sullivan McConnell impression, finishing the game with just five fewer minutes on her clock than she had on move one.

On Board 3, Shankar created problems for his opponent out of the opening and navigated some riveting complications excellently, securing the match victory. 

After sitting out three of the first four rounds, Shankar’s wins in Round 5 and 7 proved crucial to USA’s strong finish. While alternates had to play in at least four rounds to be eligible for the Board 5 individual prize, it’s worth mentioning again that although he only played in three rounds, Jordan Timm’s 3/3 score was also a significant part of the team’s success. 

One final note: This year was the first time one nation hosted the Olympiad for People with Disabilities and the FIDE Olympiad concurrently. Wednesday night, players from all three teams had the opportunity to meet and offer some encouragement and camaraderie. All three American teams went on to win on Thursday. Hopefully the events will continue to overlap and, if they do, I think we've found a good match strategy for 2028.